UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS’ PREFERENCES FOR TYPES OF WRITTEN CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK IN THESIS SUPERVISION AMONG UNIVERSITIES IN BENGKULU

This study examines undergraduate students’ preferences for types of written corrective
feedback (WCF) in thesis supervision within English Education programs at universities in
Bengkulu, employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design. Data were collected
through questionnaires (n = 45), in-depth interviews (n = 5), and document analysis (n = 20).
Findings revealed that students most preferred direct feedback (score: 982, Positive) and
focused feedback (score: 848, Positive), while indirect feedback was less favored (score: 499,
Negative), and unfocused feedback received a neutral response (score: 386). Interviews
supported these results, showing that students found direct and focused feedback clearer, more
practical, and easier to revise. Students also stated that appropriate WCF influenced their
confidence and motivation in academic writing. However, document analysis revealed a
different pattern. From 265 instances of feedback found in 20 thesis documents, supervisors
predominantly used indirect feedback (83.77%), followed by direct feedback (13.96%),
focused feedback (1.88%), and unfocused feedback (0.37%). This indicates a clear
misalignment between students’ preferences and supervisors’ actual feedback practices. While
students favored direct and focused WCF, lecturers tended to rely more on indirect strategies.
The gap suggests the need for more reflective and student-centered feedback approaches in
thesis supervision. These findings underscore the importance of aligning supervisory feedback
practices with student expectations to improve writing quality and promote effective thesis
supervision.
Keywords: written corrective feedback, student preference, thesis supervision, direct
feedback, indirect feedback, focused feedback